The National Holidays of UAE
- One of the biggest holidays in UAE is National Day, on 2nd December, which is the day on which six of the emirates came together to form the country
- UAE is an Islamic country, so most national holidays are religious, like Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha, Arafat Day, Isra’a wal Mi’raj, Hijri New Year and Prophet Mohammed’s birthday
- International holidays are also observed in UAE, mainly on New Year’s Day, and some organisations also declare holidays on Christmas Day
- Commemoration Day, also known as Martyr’s Day in honour of UAE’s martyrs, is observed on 30th November, coinciding with Prophet Mohammed’s birthday in 2017
- Weekends in UAE are on Friday and Saturday
- Ramadan is a big part of UAE’s culture, so working hours for both public and private sector organisations are reduced during the Holy Month
- A national holiday in UAE can be moved to the beginning or end of a week to combine with the weekend, if the holiday falls between two working days
- The maximum number of holidays and reduced timings in UAE are during the summer, when Ramadan is observed, along with long weekends for Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha
- The dates of Islamic holidays in UAE are subject to moon sightings, which are carried out by a committee closer to the actual period that the occasion falls in